+ Manifest Manifesto

That fire in your loins, it’s for a nice, juicy piece of loin, is it not?

It better be.

You’re a red-blooded American, after all. And your love affair with meat can be traced back to a long and storied tradition.

A tradition your grandfathers and great-grandfathers fought in many a great war to preserve.

And that throughout the years, gently searing over charcoal, has served as a raw but poignant reminder of what America’s independence from foreign meat powers could look like...

... or better yet, of what it could taste like.

And so, if at night, in your indigestion’s sleepless wonder, you find yourself humming the Star-Spangled Banner, know that you — and your steak — have done their civic duty to preserve the fabric of this great nation.

{Insert Beef Brand’s Name}

{Insert Tagline}

+ Uncomfortably Numb

As I started into the abyss of my online pizza tracker, a vast feeling of emptiness began creeping through my body.

It was 11:40.

I was hungry, annoyed, and slightly drunk. This was because, for the previous six hours, I’d been binging Netflix on beer alone.

In other words, my stomach had just about had it.

Reaching for my phone, I pondered what my next move should be.

Should I call the pizza place?

For the second time in 30 minutes?

Was wanting to watch the Club De Cuervos finale on a full stomach a good enough reason to pester essential workers?

A true quandary, this all was.

Alas, I was not a garbage human being.

A few taps on GrubHub and I knew the answer to my question.

Burgers it was. Again.

+ Sweet When Life Isn't

Children have it tough.

And the 9-5 schedule doesn’t do them any justice. For them, a typical day starts at the crack of dawn and extends much later than any curfew would have you believe.

While parents have the luxury of idling at their computers and wasting time on “water cooler” talk, children don’t have the liberty of such mindless breaks.

Play dates. Naps. Stepping on Legos. These difficult tasks can’t fulfill themselves. No. It takes a child to do them — and a damn good one at that.

So, when you get home and say that you’re stressed, just imagine how they feel.

It’s why, next time you see {insert snack brand}, think about all it truly takes to be a child in today’s world.

So don’t you dare skimp out.

+ Kerfuffle

Nothing to share on this one, but wasn’t that a fun word to read?

+ If I Ever Write For VICE

Murder is about to be on your mind...

... and if it’s not, it’s because you're oblivious to the fact that modern-day segregated neighborhoods, like the ones you do your morning jog through, have crime rates seven times the national average.

Get the bloody facts in our November Issue.

*This isn’t a real story… but the plight of POC is.

+ NYC

A City That Never Sleeps…

Has Plenty Of People Sleeping On The Street.

+ Huh?

I like big words and I cannot lie.

You other writers can’t deny.

Second-hand embarrassment is your ONLY logical response.

+ Ins-N-Outs

From the joy of the carhops of old to the thriftiness of the infamous donut handoffs of the late 80s and early 90s, the drive thru has always served us well.

It's of no wonder then, that in our collective moment of greatest need — when we all came calling, hungry and starving — the drive thru answered the red-eyed call to duty.

Perhaps, the drive thru was born for all of this — perfectly created for just this exact moment in time.

Ironically, people, meanwhile, were simply not.

+ Dark Circles

For far too long, her unconditional love has given the pain he brings her a condition to exist.

+ Venezuela Today. America Tomorrow.

Four score and seven years from now, democracy is still dictated by the will of the people.

That much will likely be true, just as true as that in the outskirts of a city, a child now screams for his mother.

A mother, who through no fault of her own, and as her baby starves to death, will be nowhere to be found.

It will be as true, as that high atop a fortress of opulence and power, a president will solemnly keep watch, watching as corruption, fraud, and famine kills his people— and what’s left of his country.

+ Fate Temptress

That’s what I told myself over and over.

Yet, it was already too late.

The damage was already done.

And now, ticket in hand, all I could do was walk forth and accept the night of debauchery and morning of punishment that awaited me.

Such is the beauty, after all, of Las Vegas.

+ I Gotta Stop Watching Anime

I was married to solitude, not happiness. And my mistress, the one who I’d grown oh-so well acquainted to, was beautiful Lady Misery.

+ Full Glory

Did you know some people sleep naked?

Seriously.

So, I ponder, how often are these “people” washing their sheets?

Every few days? Once a week?? Biweekly???

Ugh. I pity washing machines.

+ America Today

Four score and seven years from now, democracy is still dictated by the will of the people.

At least, a small group of them.

+ Epiphany

Journalistic integrity is for those without ethical concerns.

+ El Sol De México

Luis Miguel.

Seriously.

I’m no singing expert… but have you seen his live performance of La Incondicional?

What a masterpiece... the way his voice effortlessly glides betwixt several octaves before breathlessly culminating in majestic vocal runs.

Truly, if there was ever a sound for the human ear to behold, it'd be that of Luismi.

Anyhoo, if you consider yourself a student of music, do yourself a favor and check him out.

You definitely won’t regret it.

+ Plant Daddy

I’m allergic to cats and dogs. So I make do with… gardening.

+ Ashes

It’s ironic, isn’t it?

That the cycle of life is wont to emerge from fire…

…that the afterthought of destruction — ashes — often becomes the rich nutrients that seek to only fertilize our growth.

And that for as long as we live, this will ring true.

Because failure, at its very core, is always a step towards success.

*To think about this practically, take it to mean that to truly succeed, we must sometimes wallow in the not-so-shallow depths of despair.

+ /living/

Our paths forever seemed intertwined. Random bumps in the night, merely, ours seemed not.

Or so, young and never before in love, we had thought...

+ Epihany Pt. 2

People are created equally. Ideas are not.

+ Dogma

The world of advertising preaches inclusivity, change, and equality every chance it gets. Yet, by any and all metrics, advertising remains predominantly, if not overwhelmingly, white.

In an industry where who you know often matters more than how talented you are, this is a huge problem.

Simply put, it places BIPOC at an inherent disadvantage.

Our interviews can go well. Our portfolios can be complimented as “impressive” over and over. But, inexplicably, the industry just seems content with leaving us behind.

Our voices, perspectives, and experiences, while rich and incredible diverse, are left rarely to be felt, or left to be portrayed through the lenses of the white auteurs of advertising.

Yet, the opportunity for change isn’t lost on us yet. Unlike recent pontification on social media would suggest, for some, diversity and inclusion is not just a gimmick, but rather, a sincere initiative.

But the benefit of the doubt can no longer be afforded, so, let us momentarily trust the few, and hope, that the next months bring about real change.

+ B2B Ode

You’re a challenger. A risk-taker. A true disruptor in the market.

Boldness follows in your wake.

Fortunately... so do we.

Here at {insert B2B company}, more than anything else, we understand you and your needs.

We understand that for you and your company, risks aren’t a luxury — they’re a necessity of life.

We understand that even as others have called you naïve and doubled down on old trends, you’ve continued to push forward. Never satisfied with compromising, you’re the one to always go for it all, wishing to not only set a new bar — but to do so over and over.

We understand your commitment to perfection; your commitment to challenging yourself.

Because just like you, we’re always looking for the next challenge.

Let that be you.